Do not write off the Altona Vikings for September just yet.
The Vikings have gained a second wind in their quest for a Western Region Football League division 1 finals berth after an eye-catching display in a 55-point win on the road at Soldiers Reserve on Saturday.
“I thought it was probably our best performance for the year, considering we had no bench in the last quarter and only one guy up and going after half-time,” Vikings coach Saade Ghazi said. “The boys were very tough, had a great attitude and were able to grind it out to get on top of Werribee.”
Altona played with the urgency and enthusiasm required in a do-or-die situation.
The Vikings season could have been done and dusted if they came away empty-handed.
What the Vikings produced was finals-like football: hard at the contest, strong defensively, slick ball movement and a willingness to fight in the face of mounting injuries, which saw Mark Paget (shin), Brett Shiels (groin) and Travis Lunardi (hamstring) finish the game in the medical room.
You did not need to see the lop-sided scoreboard or witness the team play to know the Vikings were switched on for this one.
While Ghazi insisted the Vikings did not build up the game as a last chance saloon, surely it was in the subconscious.
“What we focused on was the way we wanted to play and that was to be really strong and hard around the footy,” Ghazi said.
Josh Macdonald was the match-winner for Altona. The small forward was incessant with his defensive pressure all game and got the rewards with five goals, including a three-goal third quarter burst.
The defensive efforts of Nathan Leslie, Matthew Cross and Joel Magnabosco were important in restricting Werribee Districts to a manageable eight goals.
“We knew we couldn’t concede more than 10 goals because we are lacking goal kicking power with Jayden Post out for the year,” Ghazi said. “They were really outstanding the three defenders today.”
Altona made up some ground in the standings, but remains two games out of the eight. The Vikings have plenty going in their favour in the last five rounds though, with a much easier draw than the three sides above them and a healthy percentage.
Ghazi is not buying into the finals talk just yet.
“It’s irrelevant who we play the next five weeks, it’s just about making sure that we bring that style and intensity to the way we want to play,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mitchell McLean provided the magic with six goals in Spotswood’s 69-point win over Albion at McLean Reserve.
In division 3, Laverton breathed life into its bid to avoid the wooden spoon with a 34-point win over Braybrook at Pennell Reserve, while Parkside moved a game-and-a-half clear on top with a 71-point win over Sanctuary Lakes.
